So January didn’t go quite as I had planned. Lol. Like, at all.

It started fine. I was all about the shiny new year and getting after those goals, and frankly was way too far up on my high horse about wintering as a concept. The importance of the season and resting and whatnot. I can love winter, I thought, which was pretty reckless to assume, because winter humbled me. It brought a polar vortex, below zero temps, and so. much. freaking. snow. Being stuck inside and the roads being too dangerous to pass for weeks on end - I got really bummed out and wondered how easily I could get my hands on some serotonin. Do they prescribe that to just anybody?

Anyway, I think I’ve turned a corner. I went into hyperdrive looking for solutions and honestly, I’m not sure if it’s any one of them in particular, or the whole combination , but I am feeling better. I’m glad January is over. I’m glad it’s still light when I leave work and I’m glad we’re getting closer to spring every day. But I mean, it wasn’t all bad. I tend to catastrophize, but there were some glimmers and I definitely had some favorites.

1 - New-to-Me Beauty Finds // Focusing all of my attention on keeping my skin moisturized, and my purchases back that up. I wound up loving the Urban Decay All Nighter Dewy Setting Spray. Effective as the classic version, but more dewy than matte. Plus it smells like watermelons. I also have been wearing the Kulfi Cream Eyeshadow in Plum Pataka on a daily basis. Very buildable, but easy to keep it subtle for office days. Doesn’t crease and is just pretty. Finally, playing the long game with this lash serum. A good price point with good reviews. Will report back!

2 - A Real Pain // I heard Jesse Eisenberg give interviews on Armchair Expert and Fresh Air, specifically discussing the movie he wrote and directed, A Real Pain, and then when it started appearing in Oscar noms, I put it at the top of my to-be-watched list. Guys, it’s great. Two cousins, who grew up like brothers, go on a guided tour of Poland to visit the place their grandmother grew up. Nobody plays high strung better than Eisenberg, and Kieran Caulkin makes for a perfect off-kilter counterpart. It’s funny, and sometimes sad, and absolutely heart wrenching. Oscar worthy indeed. It’s streaming on Hulu, or you can rent it on Prime.

3 - The Crown // Rewatching from S1E1. A true comfort show for me. I prefer the first couple of seasons, and barely made it through the last (Charles and Diana drama just isn’t interesting to me), but overall just enjoyed having those characters in my life this month.

4 - High-Waisted Pull-On Pixie Wide-Leg Pants from Old Navy // I know we’re sick of talking about these, but they were the GOAT this month. I have them in three colors and I just rotated all month long. Probably my actual favorite thing this month.

5 - What I Ate in One Year by Stanley Tucci // What a fun read! It’s written diary/journal style, so there’s an entry for most days, and it’s simple and grand. What he ate on a given day, where he went, maybe what he made for his children. There’s musings, and celebrity sightings. It’s just a joy to read that’s easy to pick-up and put down. The entries are mostly bite-size, so I was constantly bargaining with myself to read “one more day.”

Related: I also loved reading Carrie Soto is Back by Taylor Jenkins Reid.

6 - Sticking to a budget // So boring but I did it! I really wanted to see where my money is going, so I split purchases up into four buckets: groceries, gas, random, and going out to eat. Turns out I spend most of my money on groceries, and overspent what I thought I should budget there, but came in under on the other three categories. I made my spending goals realistic without restricting all the fun out of my month, but it did help me to think twice before making impulse purchases.

7 - Allison Jones on Armchair Expert // Woooo! I was not expecting to be obsessed with this episode, but it is hands-down my favorite listen this month. PS though - it went live in December, but I just listened to it this month. Anyway, Allison Jones is a legend in the casting world, quietly responsible for building some of the most beloved casts on TV - like The Office and The Fresh Prince - and she’s been in the biz for 41 years. It was just a delight to hear some behind the scenes trivia from Hollywood.

8 - Best Sellers // Surprised and delighted to see how many of you took home the Lands End Sherpa Half Zip. Colors and sizes are running low, but I love the green that is still available! No surprise that the pull-on dress pants from Old Navy are on this list. I go on and on and on and mid-month, they were on sale. So happy to see several of you grabbed a pair! You will not regret! The Drift air fresheners are consistently a best seller because they are best in class. Aesthetically pleasing and the teak scent will make your car smell like a rich person drives it. The John Frieda UltraFiller Spray is a new favorite - I’m on my 2nd bottle and since I’m a sucker for pleasantly scented functional things (and this one is a great at beefing up volume + heat protection), I think it’s going to stay in the rotation. Last one is a surprise! A random purchase to fulfill my (our!) early January organizational needs, these rolling under-the-sink storage sets were a top seller!